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NHTSA campaign 16V651000

2016–2017 Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet and GMC: air bags recall

A failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.

high3,640,162 vehicles affected90% reported repaired

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573
ProblemGeneral Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2015-2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD, 3500 HD, Tahoe, Suburban, GMC Sierra 2500 HD and 3500 HD, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Cadillac Escalade and Cadillac Escalade ESV vehicles and 2014-2017 Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 1500, Trax, Caprice Police Pursuit Vehicle, GMC Sierra 1500, Buick Encore, and 2014-2016 Buick Lacrosse, Chevrolet Spark EV and SS vehicles. In the affected vehicles, certain driving conditions may cause the air bag sensing and diagnostic module (SDM) software to activate a diagnostic test. During this test, deployment of the frontal air bags and the seat belt pretensioners would not occur in the event of a crash.RiskA failure of the front air bags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy in the event of a crash necessitating deployment increases the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger.FixGM will notify owners, and dealers will reflash the SDM software. Vehicles that have had a previous air bag deployment will have the SDM replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began on October 13, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Cadillac customer service at 1-800-458-8006, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, or GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 16007.

Reported to NHTSA Sep 8, 2016 by General Motors LLC, owners notified Oct 13, 2016.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 16V651000

Vehicles built Jan 15, 2013 to Aug 29, 2016 — a VIN outside that window is not part of this campaign even if the year, make and model match.

Model yearClassSafety SignalRecalls on file
2016 Buick EncoreCompact SUVB2
2017 Buick EncoreCompact SUVB2
2016 Buick LaCrosseMidsize SedanB2
2016 Cadillac EscaladeLarge SUVD4
2017 Cadillac EscaladeLarge SUVB2
2016 Chevrolet CorvetteCoupeB2
2017 Chevrolet CorvetteCoupeD4
2016 Chevrolet SSLarge SedanF7
2016 Chevrolet SilveradoLarge Pickup truckF13
2017 Chevrolet SilveradoLarge Pickup truckF6
2016 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HDPickup truckD5
2017 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HDPickup truckF5
2016 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HDPickup truckF6
2017 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HDPickup truckF6
2016 Chevrolet SparkCompact HatchbackC3
2016 Chevrolet SuburbanLarge SUVF6
2017 Chevrolet SuburbanLarge SUVF5
2016 Chevrolet TahoeLarge SUVF10
2017 Chevrolet TahoeLarge SUVD4
2016 Chevrolet TraxCompact SUVC5
2017 Chevrolet TraxCompact SUVC3
2016 GMC SierraLarge Pickup truckF9
2017 GMC SierraLarge Pickup truckD5
2016 GMC Sierra 2500HDPickup truckD5
2017 GMC Sierra 2500HDPickup truckF6
2016 GMC Sierra 3500HDPickup truckF6
2017 GMC Sierra 3500HDPickup truckF7
2016 GMC YukonLarge SUVF5
2017 GMC YukonLarge SUVC3

Those are the model years inside WhichTrim's range, 2016 onward. The campaign may cover others outside it, and the only thing that settles whether one specific vehicle is included is its VIN.

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7
Reported repaired90%

of the campaign

The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.

This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.

It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.

The federal paperwork

Source: nhtsa.gov

Filed documents

NHTSA has not published the scanned filings for this campaign, or has not published them yet. The campaign record itself is on their site.

Check one specific vehicle

A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. NHTSA checks a VIN against the manufacturer's own list and tells you whether the repair is still outstanding on that vehicle.

NHTSA VIN recall lookup →

Campaign 16V651000 · the manufacturer calls it 16007

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573

Does this recall repair cost anything?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.

How do I know whether my vehicle is included?

By VIN, not by model year. This campaign covers vehicles built Jan 15, 2013 to Aug 29, 2016. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.

What if the repair is not available yet?

It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.

What did the manufacturer say was wrong?

The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.

Who started this recall?

NHTSA's record credits the manufacturer. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.